The present invention relates to a process for the treatment of a soy polysaccharide material to improve baking performance and the use of this treated material to produce a baked product of reduced calories which has both improved specific volume (cc/gm) and crumb texture.
Foodstuffs that are relatively high in fiber and that have a reduced level of calories have become increasingly important to the consumer. Baked products, such as bread, often contain a dietary fiber source as a replacement for ingredients in the bread dough which have a higher caloric value. A variety of dietary fiber sources have been used to accomplish this objective although quite often the addition of certain types of dietary fiber sources have a deleterious effect on the dough used for baking or actually affect the volume or texture of the bread or baked product itself. This result and effect of the dietary fiber on the baking performance of the dough often represents a limit both on the amount of fiber that may be used in the baking process as well as the type of fiber employed.
Up until recent years the most common additive as a dietary fiber source to bread dough has been alpha cellulose as generally described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,979,523 and 4,590,076. Alpha cellulose, constitutes a preferred and desirable source of dietary fiber for baked products and both of these references describe the use of this material for bread doughs of various types. More recently, it has been discovered that various other fiber sources also may be employed in the production of baked products having high dietary fiber levels with reduced calories among which are included soy polysaccharide materials. Soy polysaccharides (SPS) generally is the residue that remains from the isolation from a soy protein source such as a defatted soybean material. Typically the defatted soy protein material is exhaustively extracted with aqueous materials to isolate the protein after which the residual material that remains comprises, for the most part, various polysaccharides normally found in the soybean material and which until recently was considered a waste material generally unsuitable for further use other than animal feed.
Recently it has been determined that if the soy polysaccharide material is cleaned up in such a manner that little, if any, extraneous material remains in the residual fraction from isolate processing that the material is highly suitable and preferable as a source of dietary fiber for various foodstuffs. The soy polysaccharide fraction derived from isolate processing has found particular application in the production of baked goods particularly bread and its addition to bread dough has produced a bread product of very desirable texture with desirable volume and further provides a product of high fiber content with reduced calories as compared to bread in which this ingredient is not employed. While the use of soy polysaccharides as an ingredient in bread dough has been highly successful, it is still a desirable objective to obtain a soy polysaccharide material of improved baking performance which has a wider range of usage and application in baked goods, including breads to accomplish the objective of a reduced level of calories and a high fiber content.
These and other objectives have been obtained in the present invention in which a soy polysaccharide material of improved baking performance has been obtained which provides a baked products of reduced calories with improved volume and crumb texture.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a process for the production of a baked product having improved specific volume (cc/gm) containing a soy polysaccharide material as dietary fiber source.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process for the production of a baked product such as bread, having a soy polysaccharide material as an ingredient which has been treated by a unique process to result in baked products of improved specific volume (cc/gm) and crumb texture when the treated material is incorporated therein.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process for the treatment of the soy polysaccharide to provide an improved degree of functionality when employed as an ingredient for baked products.
It is still a further object to provide a process for the treatment of a soy polysaccharide material having improved functionality as an ingredient for baked products which is reliable and convenient to practice on both a continuous and commercial basis.